Tomorrow's a New Day
by Delphi913
Summary: Humanity's entry into the galaxy was not a peaceful one, but they would persevere. They were a race of warriors forged in endless battle, and they would fight to the end to uphold the ideals of their heroes. ON HIATUS FOR NOW.
1. Prologue: Dropping In

**A/N: Alright, now what am I doing? Starting yet another fic unplanned while my other fics STILL have chapters pending? Yup.**

 **I'm surprised no one else has attempted something like this already. Maybe it'll be terrible, but I won't know till I try, right? Quick note before I start: I have not played MGSV yet and, even though I know a few things about it, I'm probably going to exclude it from the timeline entirely. It's not very important anyway.**

 **Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to EA and Bioware and Metal Gear belongs (unfortunately) to Konami**

"Speech" / _'Thoughts'_ / "Codec"

 **Planet Khar'shan (Harsa System / Kite's Nest Cluster / Milky Way Galaxy)**

The entire chassis of the craft shook violently as gravity took hold of the pod, bringing it into the fiery embrace of atmospheric friction. The G-Forces were incredible, but the men noticed it little as their cybernetically enhanced bodies and kinetic barrier shields softened the blow. Their commander, Whispering Fox, looked around at them closely, surveying their condition through his visor. These men were FOXHOUND, top of the class, but even among their ranks there were still those who'd never before performed a combat drop like this. He couldn't blame them; it was only his third time, after all, and death could occur at any moment.

One of the more recent additions to his squad, Mole Rat, was quaking in his boots (well, if he had boots anyway; cyborgs don't really wear them in combat).

"Sir, is this really necessary?" he asked shakily, likely trying to quell his nerves before they scuttled the pod.

"We can't be certain of how accurate their sensors are, soldier. We have to take every precaution to make sure they don't notice our insertion," he replied, keeping a strong and confident air about him. If he wanted these men to follow him, he would have to show them he was capable of leading them to victory.

"If you say so, sir. Personally, I'd rather take my chances in a shuttle."

"Come now, Rat," said Cleaving Mantis, a soldier that had been with him since the IPO academy, "Don't you know what the mortality rate is on a combat drop like this?"

"One in Forty," he deadpanned, "and you can't blame me for wanting to keep my feet on the ground."

"Don't be so pathetic. You'll never last in a firefight if you keep acting like that!" the man returned, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Enough bickering, gentlemen," Fox called their attention, "We're almost at drop distance. Lower your visors and straighten your posture. It's a long way down if you fall."

Light filled their eyes and the sound of grinding filled their ears as the countdown began and the release motors whirred to life. The mechanical tones of a female VI filled their ears as they all let a deep breath out, calming their nerves slightly before free fall.

"INITIATING DROP IN 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... LOCKS RELEASED. GOOD LUCK."

*THUNK*

That was the last thing they heard before the panels of the pod burst off in front of them and they were violently ejected from the center chassis. The sound of wind rushing was all that filled their ears as they plummeted to the drop point on the surface.

Ignoring the deafening roar that was racking his helmet, Fox looked around for his men. Much to his relief, all six of them were visible against the night sky, a faint blue glow covering each of their armors. Parachutes and thrusters were far too noticeable in this day and age, so they had to supplement with experimental mass-repulsion fields to slow their descent. It was good in theory; they WERE supposed to be posing as an asteroid burning up in the atmosphere. However, the technology was still experimental which lead to a lot of unfortunate incidents.

As they neared the planet's surface, their fall all but dissipated, allowing them to hit the ground with all the force of a feather. The men stood up, quickly scanning the area to make sure they were truly unnoticed.

"Rat? Anyone approaching?" Fox addressed the soldier.

Still a bit shaky from the drop, the man unsealed his upper visor and placed his ear to the ground. Having once been a blind kid out on the streets, without the money for cybernetic replacements, his sense of hearing became top notch along with his skills with sneaking. Once he'd joined the military and got his implants, his auditory sense became even more astute, to the point that he had to dull them in order to remain sane. Kneeling, he placed an ear to the ground, closing his eyes.

*Thump*

*Thump*

*Thump*

"No one in the vicinity, sir."

"How about inside the compound?"

"Around 200 hostages... 50 Batarians, 30 of them armed and... one armed human moving through the facility."

"That's amazing," Mantis complimented half-sarcastically, "How does he do it?"

"Different races have different body/mass ratios" Rat explained, annoyed, "Batarians are generally lighter than most bipedal races, even with their armor and weapons. It's pretty easy to discern them from the others because they make smaller vibrations on the ground."

Leaving the two to hammer out the rest of the details, Fox knelt down and placed two fingers on his auditory implant connected to his helmet.

"Command, this is Fox. We've landed safely on the surface with no casualties. The men and I have determined the number of enemies inside and are currently attempting to find a way into the facility."

"Roger that, Fox," a relaxed voice came through the speakers, "By the way, my code name has been approved. Just call me Harry."

"Alright, Harry," he responded, amused, "Do you have anything for me?"

"My superiors want me to go over the details of the mission again."

Fox let out a sigh, prompting Harry to let out a chuckle. "Proceed."

"Mission is as follows: Enter the compound undetected, knock out all outbound communications, rescue the hostages, and bring them to the rendezvous point for pick up. Humans are a priority, though, I'm sure the Alliance would appreciate gaining the Council's gratitude for rescuing any alien hostages. I'm afraid there's a catch, though."

"A catch?"

"Yes, there's one specific target you've been ordered to rescue at any cost. The name's Emmerich, Roy Emmerich."

He raised an eyebrow. "Emmerich? You mean from the family of geniuses?"

"The very same; brother of the equally famous Rachael Emmerich, in fact. He was doing research of some kind on one of our more remote colonies and was kidnapped during a raid. We are unsure if they've learned his identity, but we can guarantee it's going to get a lot harder to extricate him if they do."

"Roger that. I'll find him."

"Very good. If you need any help, we've brought in a few specialists to help you. You'll be introduced as you need them. Harry out."

Returning to the real world, he stood up to find his squad all looking at him expectantly.

"What's the word, sir?" a lesser squadmate, Rhesus, asked.

"We're to knock out communications and rescue the hostages," he commanded, "Mole Rat, you're to remain out here and advise our troops."

The man looked a bit cross at his minor assignment, but nodded in affirmation nonetheless.

"Mantis, you're in charge of disabling outbound communications. Make sure they have no way of contacting their bases back in the Hegemony."

The man unsealed his visor, revealing a smug grin, and gave a thumbs up. "Got it."

"Everyone else," he directed at the rest of his squad, "You're to infiltrate the facility and find the hostages. Rat will guide you on your way."

The rest of the men gave a signal of their understanding. Some called out, others saluted, but all conveyed the message that his orders had been received.

"You have your orders, men. I won't lie to you, the odds are in our favor, however, one false step, one misplaced sound, one suit malfunction, is the difference between victory and failure. You have stealth camouflage, sneaking suits, and soliton radar, but you're not to rely on these tools. Remember, you were a soldier before you had them! There are teams all over the planet, taking part in this operation. If we do our part right, the Hegemony will wake up tomorrow without a single slave to its name and none the wiser as to who rescued them."

He was grinning madly by the end of the speech, not that they could see, but they looked like they were ready to cheer if it wouldn't rouse suspicion from the compound's guards. After a moment, Mantis waved them off.

"You heard the man! Let's get moving."

Within the space of a minute, Mole Rat was leading them over the hills, while he and Mantis nestled on top of a rock wall, scouting out the utilitarian side of the compound.

"Nice speech. You rehearse that, or was it off the top of your head?" Mantis said, messing with his swords, making sure they were ready for the mission.

"The latter. It's not complex or artful, but it got the job done," he returned, scouting out the area with the binocular function on his helmet's visor.

He could already see a nice-looking vent shaft with his name on it.

 **Galactic Codex:**

 **Non-Council Races:**

 **Humanity and Systems Alliance:**

 **First Contact War:**

Humanity's first contact with an alien race occurred in the Solar Year 2157. At that time, the Alliance allowed survey fleets to activate any dormant mass relays discovered, a practice considered dangerous and irresponsible by Council-aligned races. When a turian patrol discovered a human fleet attempting to activate a relay, they attacked.

Having cultivated electromagnetic weaponry for years prior to the discovery of Element Zero, Humanity had the advantage in both weaponry and technology, but the Turian forces were superior in both number and tactical experience. The grueling battle lasted for months, both in space and on the ground with the Turians unable to overcome the human naval force and completely overwhelmed by their superior infantry. Finally, the Turians managed to get a single ship past the human blockade, causing the Hierarchy to prep for full-scale and drawing the attention of the rest of the galaxy. The Council quickly intervened in the conflict and signed a peace treaty with the Alliance. Fortunately for both sides, the war ended in a diplomatic solution.

 **Cybernetics:**

Much to the curiosity, and sometimes disdain, of the rest of the galaxy, over 75% of humanity has had their bodies modified with mechanical parts. The level of modification varies from person-to-person, but generally most humans practice this procedure in preparation for living in space, while most "pure" humans remain on Earth.

When not in combat or other strenuous work, most cyborgs hide their augments with a layer of artificial skin. It's said, the number of people who practice this has gone up since first contact, probably due to a desire to fit in with the rest of society.

Children are not allowed to be modified until they have reached a certain age. The majority of families see this as rite of passage into adulthood. It has often been compared to the Quarians exchanging of suits.

Unfortunately, due to the natural nervous system being replaced with mechanical parts, Humanity is incapable of developing or using Biotics.

 **FOXHOUND:**

Comparable to the Asari Commandos or the Salarian STG, the FOXHOUND unit is a group of highly skilled human soldiers that handle wet-works operations and espionage on behalf of the government. Unique to their race, Humanity is known for recruiting a number of individuals with strange powers or abilities into the ranks of FOXHOUND, however, similar to the Spectres, these are most likely just rumors spread by fans.

When a soldier is selected to join FOXHOUND, they must give up their real name in favor of an animal-themed code name. Many races wonder why this is necessary even among the higher echelons of military and government, and to answer, current FOXHOUND Commander, Fleet Admiral Miller, offered: "Who we are at home is not who we are on the battlefield."

 **A/N: Well, that's a chapter. Fair warning, I may add characters without warning simply to have another character. For example, Both Fox and Mantis are supposed to be characters from the Mass Effect universe, but Mole Rat is a character completely of my own creation. I'll delve more into the differences later on, such as humanity's very liberal use of AI. Let me know what you think so far, and please send me any ideas if you have them. I'm interested to hear what you have to say. Till next time, folks. Ciao.**


	2. Prologue: Sneaking Mission

**A/N: Well, I wasn't expecting the overly positive response. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing everyone! If you didn't know already, I do all my review responses via PM. Anyway, let's get right to it.**

 ** **Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to EA and Bioware and Metal Gear belongs (unfortunately) to Konami****

"Speech" / __'Thoughts'__ / "Codec"

 **Main Prison Block (** ** **Planet Khar'shan / Harsa System / Kite's Nest Cluster)****

"So, what's the back up plan?" Fox asked, as he crawled through the tight shaft, slowly pulling himself forward to minimize noise.

"I'm not supposed to tell you that. You know what Command says: 'The less information our soldiers know, the less the risk of our plans being discovered.'," Harry replied, switching to an exaggerated monotone when imitating his superiors.

"You saying you can't trust me, Harry?"

"'Course not," his operator answered, indignant, "Look, if you really want to know, we've got an Arsenal parked right over Ilem. Not saying which one, but rest assured, you've got a lot of fire support waiting if things get hairy."

That declaration made him pause. "You'd send in Metal Gears here? Wouldn't that cause an even bigger political shitstorm than the one we've got already?"

"Sending in Metal Gears probably won't be necessary. The compliment is UGs, mostly. Dobermans and Triops, primarily. Hopefully this Op goes without a hitch, so we don't have to use 'em."

"You're telling me," he ended the call as he climbed out the opposite end of the shaft.

Examining his surroundings, he found himself in a hanger with a few shuttles parked in the center and several guards watching from the rafters, thankfully none of them had him in their line of sight. Finding a hiding place inside a local storage crate (Unfortunately cardboard technology had become outdated by that point), he opened a map of the place that Harry had given him. Mantis and the gang were handling the other objectives, so it was his job to rescue Emmerich.

"Need some help?" a new voice spoke in his ear.

"Who is this?" he replied.

"Allow me to introduce Mr. Armistan Banes," Harry explained. "He's our foremost expert in Batarian tactics and operations."

"How do you do young lad?" the man asked with jollity.

Gathering himself in response to Bane's odd demeanor, Fox answered, "Swell. Now, can you give me any idea of where Emmerich is being held?"

"Straight to business, eh? Well, I can't tell you his exact location, but I can give you the location of someone who does," Banes said, highlighting a section of his map. "This is where they keep political prisoners, usually for ransom money or backroom deals. Find Richard Amer. He was on an executive retreat on Mindoir, the same colony that Emmerich was doing his research, and there's evidence that the two had correspondence."

Fox raised an eyebrow. "You think there was some kind of underhanded deal going on?"

"It's hard to tell, but he's your best bet of finding him."

"Got it. Fox out."

Lifting up the crate, he began to walk forward, avoiding any of the guards line of sight. The region that Banes had given him was located on the west side of the prison block, so his best bet of getting there would be to sneak through the residential quarters. _'Nothing's ever easy, huh.'_

Folding up the crate and putting it in one of his pouches, Fox carefully slid through a door and into a hallway which he proceeded down and into the barracks where he saw several sleeping guards. He slowly and deliberately stepped through, living up to his code name by making no noise whatsoever, until he reached a corner, freezing as he heard footsteps approaching his location. He quickly pressed his body up against the wall, allowing the stealth system on his body to match temperature, mimic chemical composition, and project a 3D holographic image of an electrical appliance over his person, creating the perfect camouflage. He brought his breathing to a slow rhythmic cycle as the passed by, allowing him to catch a part of their conversation.

"...caught the brat yet?" one of them apparently asked as they passed him by, "Every time the little bastard steals something, we have to listen to the Warden scream at us and I'm sick of it!"

"Not yet," another one, with a deeper voice, replied, "But he's only a child. He'll make a mistake at some point. It's only a matter..."

Their voices faded out as they entered another room. _'A child? Could this kid be the one Mole Rat mentioned? If he's an escaped prisoner then he's been wandering around this place for weeks. He probably knows his way around the place. I should probably find him if I get the chance.'_

Dispelling the disguise, he rounded the corner and headed down another hall into a lounge just in time to see Mantis slicing some poor sot's throat wide open. With nothing holding the alien man up, he toppled over onto a small pile of bodies collected at the cyborg's feet.

"Mantis, what are you doing?" he growled out. "We're supposed to keep casualties to a minimum!"

"I know," he answered nonchalantly. "These are the minimum casualties."

"No! That is not how we do things!"

His comrade just waved him off. "They've killed thousands of us in their colony raids. Why should I stay my blade just for a few measly guards who were probably there weeks ago, slaughtering our people." His grip tightened on his bloodied sword. "The very thought of it makes my blood boil."

Fox took a deep breath. _'I've dealt with his kind before. I've just got to calm him down.'_

Placing a hand on the man's shoulder, he spoke in a much calmer tone. "If you want to kill Batarians, you'll get plenty of opportunity after this. For now, if this is going to work, I need you focused on the mission. Shove these guys in some lockers before someone figures out what you've done and get to that comm tower. No more killing; got it?"

After a few moments, he seemed to compose himself. "Got it. You're trying to get to the executive prisoners, right? Take the elevator over there," he said, pointing across the room at a door.

"Good. Move swiftly, before the Hegemony gets wind of what we're doing," he finished, entering the elevator.

Six floors down and he was in the executive block which was appeared deserted, but a quick glance at the radar told him there were some guards relaxing behind a door to his right. Making his way through the rooms, he found a ladder leading into a vent shaft. Climbing into it, he crawled through the shaft, peering down into the cells through the grates. After a few misses, including a woman doing crunches oddly enough, he finally found a man matching Amer's description.

Opening up the grate, he slipped inside.

 ** **Galactic Codex:****

 ** **Non-Council Races:****

 ** **Humanity and Systems Alliance:****

 ** **AI:****

An extremely controversial topic in political discussions across the galaxy is Council's accommodation of humanity's AI development. It's hard to find a region of humanity that is not aided in some part to AI, from the higher echelons of the economy and government to common household appliances. However, despite the the anxiety of much of the galactic community, Salarian inspectors have confirmed that Human AI design is incredibly complex and robust with many contingencies to prevent hostile rebellion. Alliance diplomats have firmly stated that after their liberation from Patriot control in the early 21st century, they'll never allow themselves to fall under the influence of synthetic intelligence again.

 **–** ** **FOXALIVE:**** FOXALIVE is an anti-AI virus created by the Emmerich family in the early 21st century. Modeled after the biological weapon FOXDIE, the virus is design to target specific sections of an AI's root code, completely erasing all traces of sentience while leaving the basic functions intact. It has been updated several times in the past 150 years since its creation, adapting to several rogue AI outbreaks over in the rocky transition to the space age, making it an almost perfect killer. As per the agreements made after the First Contact War, it is now in the possession of the Council, assuring that any future AI outbreak will not endanger the rest of the galaxy. Though many a Quarian has asked for its use against the Geth, Human engineers have thoroughly explained that the virus cannot destroy their network intelligence as a whole. It seems the galaxy is not yet free from the threat of synthetics.

 ** **Gear:****

Gear is a catch-all term for any mechanical device that provides assistance in combat. There are many sub-categories of Gear that have developed over the vast annals of Human warfare:

 **–** ** **Personal Gear:**** Any armor, weapons, or modifications that a human might equip on their person can fall under this classification. It also includes any outside equipment designed to contribute to the success of the battle.

 **–** ** **Manned Gear:**** Any vehicles that are incapable of independent movement fall beneath this category.

– **Unmanned Gear:** Any VI or AI-operated robot within the appropriate size class can fall under this category. This term is also commonly used to describe robotic assistants in the civilian sector.

– **Metal Gear:** A classifier used to describe any multi-legged assault platform of overwhelming size, exceeding the UG size classifications, and power. Due to agreements made after the First Contact War no military vehicle within the Metal Gear size classification can be mounted with AI.

– **Astro Gear:** A term used to describe a space-capable, omni-directional, assault vehicle. These spherical fighter craft actually eschew mass effect fields almost completely in favor of traditional propulsion, allowing them to move in all directions at any given time rather than the standard method of exclusive forward propulsion. This gives them a serious edge in maneuverability and the method behind them is also impossible to replicate as it requires a cyborg body to handle the G Forces as well as AR to assist in the complex movement required to operate the vehicle. They have been noted as incredibly hard to hit, but at the cost being easy to destroy due to lack of kinetic barriers and heavy armor. Much like Metal Gears, they cannot be mounted with AI according to galactic law.

– **Arsenal Gear:** The pinnacle of all Gear technology, the Arsenal Gear classification is applied to a colossal battleship, capable of carrying all previous categories into battle both on land and in space. Fully staffed and complimented Arsenals are considered some of the most fearsome ships in the galaxy, though they require constant support to stay viable in any campaign. As with other categories, the treaties made after the First Contact War restricts the Alliance from constructing more than a certain number of these craft and they are also incapable of being mounted with AI.

– **Xeno Gear:** A joking term used to refer to alien weapons that have been appropriated by the Human military. Though it began as a quip between infantrymen, it has actually gained traction in recent years as a term to describe any military technology of alien origin.

 ** **Human Relations:****

 **–** ** **Asari:**** Relations between Humans and Asari have been skewed from the beginning, with many of the older matrons and matriarchs viewing them as brutish and overly defensive in their constant military development and occasional skirmishes between their inner colonies. However, Human-Asari relationships are incredibly common among maidens and full-body cyborgs due to their increased lifespan, and sterility in the majority of cases. Many young men and women who foolishly make the full conversion at a young age, to become soldiers in most cases, see the Asari mating ritual as a way out of not being able to have children among their own species. Though no intolerance can be solved so quickly, this should bring more peaceful relations among the next generation of Asari.

 **–** ** **Salarian:**** Sharing a similar penchant for espionage and technological development, Humans and Salarians have become quick collaborators in the civilian and military sectors, though to what extent is classified. Other than that, the two races continue peaceful and healthy economic relations.

 **–** ** **Turian:**** Though animosity still remains due to the First Contact War, Humans and Turians have built up a kind of respect for each other through mutual military might and a sense of honor. It was the draw of the First Contact War that inspired an entirely new school of infantry tactics to be developed as well as new developments artillery and naval technologies to counter humanity's Gears. It's rumored that working prototypes of alien-built Gear weapons will be operational within the year and that the Alliance may be offering assistance, but it's only speculation at the moment. As the Turians represent the Council's military and law enforcement, any backing the Alliance can provide can only be a boon to galactic society.

 ** **A/N: So, this wasn't too interesting a chapter in my opinion. This is only the prologue and it's going to take a couple chapters for things to get interesting. As a side note, I'll be including Human Relation entries in groups of three until I run out of races or until things change upon which I'll write up updated entries. I considered putting the conversation with Amer in at the end, but I decided against it. Writing in huge chunks is a really good way to drain yourself of ideas, as I've learned. Again, thanks for the R &R and please continue to share your thoughts with me.****


	3. Prologue: Gathering Intel

****Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to EA and Bioware and Metal Gear belongs (unfortunately) to Konami****

"Speech" / __'Thoughts'__ / "Codec"

 ** **Executive Prison Block (Planet Khar'shan / Harsa System / Kite's Nest Cluster)****

"UWAH!"

The suited man jumped back against the door of his cell as Fox dropped in.

"Who are you?! You're here to kill me aren't you?"

Immediately he raised his hands and opened them, showing the man that he wasn't armed. In addition, he unsealed his visor, allowing Amer to see his face.

"You're Richard Amer aren't you? I'm here to pull you out."

After hearing that he was no longer frantic, extricating himself from the door, but still remained tense.

"And you're a FOXHOUND, and a soldier capable of reaching me by yourself. You're obviously not here just to rescue me, so who sent you to me and why?"

Fox had to admire the executive's caution. "Banes sent me to find you. He said you'd be able to lead me to Emmerich."

With that, he let out a sigh of relief. "Alright. If it's Banes, I think I can trust you. You're here to find Emmerich, you say?"

The cyborg nodded. "He's my top priority."

Amer scoffed in return. "Figures. The government is always more interested in protecting its investments than the people."

"What are you talking about?"

He looked Fox straight in the eye. "Let me guess, they didn't tell you what's really going on? Predictable as ever."

"What are you saying? What's happening that I don't know about?"

"Two words: Metal Gear."

"Metal... Gear...?"

"Exactly," Amer said, pointing at him. "What did they tell you? That I was on vacation? No, I was assisting young Roy in the development of a new model of Metal Gear, code-named BISMARCK."

"But why are you developing new Metal Gears? Shouldn't we be focusing on our naval forces if we want to stand up to other races?"

He outright laughed at Fox. "Are you serious? Metal Gears are vital now more than ever before. Every armed conflict is decided by our ability to capture planets, not fighting their navies head-to-head. This is why we need to improve our Metal Gear technology and why the government was willing to fund."

"Hmm... I suppose you're right," the cyborg replied, holding his chin in though, "Our men at Shanxi were stuck using old RAYs, at the Alliance's heavy insistence, and even though our newer models are much improved, it's only a matter of time before the other races catch up. But what about BISMARCK itself?"

Suddenly the man looked a lot less confident, even slightly annoyed. "You'd have to ask young Roy about that. I was mostly in charge of negotiating finances between the government and the ArmsTech research group. My presence on Mindoir was to be our first formal inspection of the project."

"So, what you're trying to tell me is that you don't know anything?"

"Quite right."

Leaning up against the wall, he sighed. "Oh well, any clue where Emmerich actually is?"

The executive shook his head. "No, I don't, but the boy probably does."

"The boy? I heard the guards mention a kid earlier."

"Yes, there's a very young boy, can't be older than 12 or 13, who's managed to escape from his cell," he explained, pointing at the same vent shaft that Fox came out of. "He often comes out of there to visit, looking for information."

"All by himself?" Fox asked, skeptically. "Must be a smart kid. Any way we could contact him?"

"Sure, the kid's wired with nanos like the rest of Mindoir. It was a precaution in case any of them discovered the project. His Codec frequency is-"

Suddenly, a voice rang out that made both their hearts jump. "Hey, what's all that racket in there?!"

Quick as a flash, though not nearly as loud, Fox pressed himself flat up against the wall and activated Stealth Camo. His radar only detected one guard, so precautions against infrared sensors weren't necessary this time. He remained completely still as the slit on the door slid open, revealing two pairs of eyes looking in.

"What's with all the noise, human?"

Amer just shrugged. "Oh, you know, just thinking aloud."

After a few moments of silence, the four-eyes spoke again. "I'm coming in there to check. Hands on the wall."

As Amer followed the guard's instructions, the door slid open and the guard slowly walked in. Just as soon as he was far enough past the door's threshold, Fox slapped the door control, instantly shutting the door.

"!"

The guard swung around, allowing Fox to slip behind him and grab him from behind, placing him in a choke-hold. With lightning-fast reflexes, he gripped a knife handle from one of his various pocket and drew it, sliding the flat of the blade across the poor guard's neck and sending a nasty shock through his body. With him out cold, he let the four-eyes slide to the ground, tranquilizing him just in case.

"You could have just killed him," Amer said as Fox searched the body for valuables.

"That's not the point of the mission. I'll kill if the mission calls for it or if there's no other option, but not before or after."

"Wouldn't that just make you a drone, blindly following orders then?"

"Maybe, but I trust in my superior's judgment," he answered, pulling out a small rectangular object from the body. "A card key; this'll come in handy."

"Anyway, as I was saying earlier," he said, sliding the door open to check the hall. "The boy's frequency is 140.15. Do you have a gun I can use?"

"My stuffs all ID-Locked, but" Fox replied, pulling a gun off the dead guard. "You should be able to use this. Stay here until the rest of the squad gets here. If another guard stops by, you know what to do."

"Right."

Stepping out of the cell, he immediately ducked into the nearest storage room. Kneeling down, he tuned his Codec for the older frequencies. Switching to the frequency that Amer gave him, he was greeted with the face of a young boy with piercing blue eyes.

"Who are you?" the boy asked in an aggressive yet cautious tone.

"I'm a FOXHOUND, son. Here to get you and everyone else out of here." he answered, gentle and firm, letting him know that he was here to help rather than hurt.

"A FOXHOUND? Really?" he said with wonder, distrust momentarily forgotten.

The cyborg chuckled to himself in amusement. "That's right, son. What's your name?"

"Uh... I-It's Johnny, sir. Johnny Shepard."

 ** **Galactic Codex:****

 ** **Non-Council Races:****

 ** **Humanity and Systems Alliance:****

 **Nanomachines:**

Nanomachines are a form of microscopic robot, created in the early 21st century. By law they are injected into the blood stream at a young age and they serve a variety of purposes in both the military and civilian sectors. Being heavily customizable, the number of uses is practically infinite.

One of the more notable features is the ability to manipulate electrical signals in the brain to produce false images in the optic nerve. This system is referred to as Augmented Reality, or AR for short. This almost entirely supplants the need for Omnitools, as it's information displays serve the same purpose and any tech abilities can be channeled directly through the cyborg body

The manipulation of the brain can be taken a step further by creating an entirely simulated environment within one's psyche, a Virtual Reality, or VR. This has a variety of uses depending on the simulation. It is most commonly used as a method of job training, allowing one to learn a skill without causing a disruption for the business in question.

Nanomachines were one of the technologies that Humanity freely offered upon their arrival to the galactic stage, however many races, with the exception of the Salarians and Volus in some cases, have been reluctant to accept as of yet.

 **Biotics:**

Biotics are an interesting subject among humans, as most humans can't use them. Due to the almost uniform cybernetic conversion, the majority of humans lack a true nervous system required to channel element zero. There are still pure humans that carry this capability, however, as they are less adaptable to new environments, most of them have not left the Solar System. Biotics who do operate in the colonial zones or beyond are often highly regarded for their bravery and valued for their useful abilities

 **Human Relations:**

 **-Krogan:** Humanity has a rather odd relationship with the Krogan people. With the Salarians as their valuable allies, Humanity has publicly agreed to the usage of the genophage in the quelling of the Krogan Rebellions many years ago. However, in spite of this, it's not uncommon to see Humans and Krogan working together, especially around mercenary groups. There are many theories as to why this would be, such as a mutual respect for strength in being able to stand up to the Turians, but nothing has been confirmed at the moment.

 **-Volus:** The Volus have a mixed view of Humanity. While many still hold lingering resentment over the Council's giving Humanity an Embassy after such a short time following First Contact, as well as rumors of them receiving a seat on the Council itself, a large majority of the Vol Protectorate has shown an interest in trading the new technologies that Humanity brings to the table. In recent years, they've established several trade contracts and hold regular economic relations with the galaxy's newest race.

 **-Quarians:** There is probably no species more distrusting and hateful towards humanity than the Quarians. Though some have campaigned for tolerance, the majority of the Migrant Fleet's populace is largely resentful of the Council's decision to accommodate Humanity's AI use. Despite the humans keeping the reigns on their AIs for over 150 years after freeing themselves from Patriot control, many still believe that the Humans and their AIs will bring about the downfall of the entire galaxy. It also doesn't help that they have been unable to provide a version of the FOXALIVE virus which is capable of destroying the Geth, creating the popular opinion that they are intentionally witholding it from the Quarian people. With such deep scars on either side, it's hard to tell if the two peoples will ever get along.

 **A/N: So, yeah, this was all conversation and I don't feel too bad about that. Metal Gear is known for incredibly long conversations, after all. Look at it this way, these chapters may be short, but I get to update every few weeks rather than every six months. I'll start writing longer stuff once we get into the actual game. It's up to you to decide whether Johnny is related to the Clan of Johnnys. I have no definite answer for you on that one. Till next time. Cheers.**


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